Elon University program lets students volunteer time at animal adoption center

Al Drago / Times-News

By Steve Huffman / Times-News

Published: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:36 AM.

Mary Young is a sophomore at Elon University, a native of Charlottesville, Va., who had to leave her dog, two cats and rabbit at home when she came to college. While her pets are hundreds of miles away, Young still has the opportunity to bond several times a week with dogs, cats and any number of other of God’s creatures. Young is co-coordinator of Elon’s Students Helping Animals Regain Equality — an organization best known by its acronym, SHARE. Through the program, Elon students travel several times a week to the City of Burlington’s Pet Adoption Center on Stone Quarry Road where they pet, walk and generally share a bit of love with animals awaiting adoption, animals that might otherwise do nothing more than spend the day sitting in a pen while awaiting a new owner. “I definitely have my favorites,” Young said of the animals she visits. “I’m always happy when they’re adopted, but I’m kind of sad they’re gone.” Volunteers like Young are supervised by Laura Michel, outreach coordinator for the Burlington Police Department’s Animal Services Division that oversees the Pet Adoption Center. Michel said finding an adequate number of people committed to volunteering for the task always is difficult. “Volunteers fill in where we don’t have time,” she said. “We’ve got paid staff to care for the animals — to feed and water them. But we don’t have time to take them out and walk them. We just don’t have the staff.” There are typically more than 100 animals spread between the Pet Adoption Center and the intake center in the building to its rear. A year ago, about 7,800 animals came through the shelter. Michel said except for rare occasions, once an animal has been moved from the intake center to the Pet Adoption Center, it remains until it’s adopted, its life spared. All the animals that are adopted have been spayed or neutered. The cost to adopt a dog from the center is $80. A cat will set you back $60. Michel said volunteers who spend an hour or so a week at the shelter are doing the animals a favor for a number of reasons. In addition to simply getting the dogs and cats out of their pens, they’re also helping them socialize — learning what it’s like to be around humans. A friendly dog or cat is more likely to find an adoptive home, Michel said. Those looking to volunteer at the center must first clear a background check. Then they go through a training session. “This a fun place to be, but it’s also a place where we need to keep our wits about ourselves,” Michel said. “Volunteers need to take their jobs seriously. You never know what’s going to provoke an animal to fight another animal.” It’s not just dogs and cats available for adoption at the center. On a recent weekday afternoon, several cages in the office included a variety of guinea pigs. Take a pick, just $1 each. Michel said the person who surrendered the guinea pigs had been given two of the creatures with the promise they were of the same sex. “Obviously they weren’t,” Michel said. She said the root of all problems with pet overpopulation centers around irresponsible pet owners — those who don’t have their dogs or cats spayed or neutered, those who don’t have identification on their animals in the event they get loose. “If we could accomplish all that, I’d be out of a job, which would be a wonderful reason to lose a job,” Michel said. Meanwhile, seeing as that isn’t likely to happen in the foreseeable future, Michel said she’s happy to have volunteers like Young and fellow SHARE members from Elon. She said those students are among her most dependable volunteers. “They’re an awesome group of kids,” Michel said. Marissa Wertheimer is SHARE’s other co-coordinator, along with Young. She said the organization has 160 members, though not all volunteer at the Pet Adoption Center. Some do so at least once a week. “It’s just a great experience,” Wertheimer said. “You know you’re helping the animals.” Wertheimer said Elon students volunteer for SHARE and other programs across Alamance County for a variety of reasons. Some are required to volunteer as part of membership in student organizations while others do it only because they want. “Most just want to help the animals,” Wertheimer said.

If you’re interested in volunteering at Burlington’s Pet Adoption Center, email Laura Michel a lmichel@ci.burlington.nc.us or call the center at (336) 578-0343.

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Mary Young is a sophomore at Elon University, a native of Charlottesville, Va., who had to leave her dog, two cats and rabbit at home when she came to college.
While her pets are hundreds of miles away, Young still has the opportunity to bond several times a week with dogs, cats and any number of other of God’s creatures. Young is co-coordinator of Elon’s Students Helping Animals Regain Equality — an organization best known by its acronym, SHARE.
Through the program, Elon students travel several times a week to the City of Burlington’s Pet Adoption Center on Stone Quarry Road where they pet, walk and generally share a bit of love with animals awaiting adoption, animals that might otherwise do nothing more than spend the day sitting in a pen while awaiting a new owner.
“I definitely have my favorites,” Young said of the animals she visits. “I’m always happy when they’re adopted, but I’m kind of sad they’re gone.”
Volunteers like Young are supervised by Laura Michel, outreach coordinator for the Burlington Police Department’s Animal Services Division that oversees the Pet Adoption Center. Michel said finding an adequate number of people committed to volunteering for the task always is difficult.
“Volunteers fill in where we don’t have time,” she said. “We’ve got paid staff to care for the animals — to feed and water them. But we don’t have time to take them out and walk them. We just don’t have the staff.”
There are typically more than 100 animals spread between the Pet Adoption Center and the intake center in the building to its rear. A year ago, about 7,800 animals came through the shelter. Michel said except for rare occasions, once an animal has been moved from the intake center to the Pet Adoption Center, it remains until it’s adopted, its life spared. All the animals that are adopted have been spayed or neutered. The cost to adopt a dog from the center is $80. A cat will set you back $60.
Michel said volunteers who spend an hour or so a week at the shelter are doing the animals a favor for a number of reasons. In addition to simply getting the dogs and cats out of their pens, they’re also helping them socialize — learning what it’s like to be around humans. A friendly dog or cat is more likely to find an adoptive home, Michel said.
Those looking to volunteer at the center must first clear a background check. Then they go through a training session.
“This a fun place to be, but it’s also a place where we need to keep our wits about ourselves,” Michel said. “Volunteers need to take their jobs seriously. You never know what’s going to provoke an animal to fight another animal.”
It’s not just dogs and cats available for adoption at the center. On a recent weekday afternoon, several cages in the office included a variety of guinea pigs. Take a pick, just $1 each. Michel said the person who surrendered the guinea pigs had been given two of the creatures with the promise they were of the same sex.
“Obviously they weren’t,” Michel said.
She said the root of all problems with pet overpopulation centers around irresponsible pet owners — those who don’t have their dogs or cats spayed or neutered, those who don’t have identification on their animals in the event they get loose.
“If we could accomplish all that, I’d be out of a job, which would be a wonderful reason to lose a job,” Michel said.
Meanwhile, seeing as that isn’t likely to happen in the foreseeable future, Michel said she’s happy to have volunteers like Young and fellow SHARE members from Elon. She said those students are among her most dependable volunteers.
“They’re an awesome group of kids,” Michel said.
Marissa Wertheimer is SHARE’s other co-coordinator, along with Young. She said the organization has 160 members, though not all volunteer at the Pet Adoption Center. Some do so at least once a week.
“It’s just a great experience,” Wertheimer said. “You know you’re helping the animals.”
Wertheimer said Elon students volunteer for SHARE and other programs across Alamance County for a variety of reasons. Some are required to volunteer as part of membership in student organizations while others do it only because they want.
“Most just want to help the animals,” Wertheimer said.

If you’re interested in volunteering at Burlington’s Pet Adoption Center, email Laura Michel a lmichel@ci.burlington.nc.us or call the center at (336) 578-0343.